News & Events

Now that Spring is here, we will begin to maintain our parish cemeteries. A Cemetery Upkeep envelope is included in your boxed envelopes. Your donations help us to maintain the resting place of your loved ones. Your donation may be mailed to the parish office or placed in the collection basket. Thank you for your generosity!

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Based on the bulletin of May 21, 2023.

Consider this… Hope and Mothers

Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.
1Pt 3:15

How often do people ask us why we are hopeful? If that doesn’t happen on a regular basis, maybe we should ask ourselves why? As we are in the Easter Season, we are invited to recognize the hope that is given to us because of the resurrection. If hope is really a part of our lives, nothing can bring us down, no tragedy, no fight, no renewal, no job loss, nothing! Now, I realize that this is easier said than done.

Consider how much effort and energy we invest in things that are never going to help us have hope. When we invest in things that bring us hope, it can change our lives! Jesus is the ultimate source of hope for us, and sometimes when things don’t go our way, have we ever considered that maybe Jesus is trying to guide us in a different path that we haven’t been open to or considered? Hope requires trust in God’s plan. Again, easier said than done.

This weekend as we celebrate Mother’s Day, it is a time to recognize how much Mothers are an image of hope in our world today. First I want to acknowledge that when we speak of Mothers, I include all women in this category. I believe that all women have an innate ability to foster life in their own unique way. For some it is in the traditional sense of forming a home with a husband, bearing children and nurturing them. For others it’s through the female generative nature in creating life by how they interact with people and the world. Some women bring life into the world by how they create relationships of love, or by bringing beauty to the world through talents and caring, or by nurturing friends through difficult times in life.

Women have a natural ability to be hope bearers and we recognize their giftedness and the many ways they sacrifice for others, so that others can be better. This is what I believe we celebrate today. Thank you and blessings to every form of Mother on this Mother’s Day Weekend! We pray for you in a special way and ask God to bless you.

This week we celebrate the Ascension of Our Lord on Thursday [May 18, 2023], which is a Holy Day of obligation. There will not be a vigil mass because of my schedule with the Diocese. I apologize, but on Thursday the masses will be as follows:

• 8:30 am — Arcade worship site
• 5:30 pm — Arcade worship site
• 7:00 pm — East Arcade worship site

Let’s strive this week to be people who embrace, share and spread hope. Just think of what the world would be like if we spread hope as easily as we spread other things.

Keep smiling 🙂 Fr. Bryan

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Based on Fr. Bryan’s letter in the bulletin of May 14, 2023. Modified slightly, formatted for web, and emphasis modified from original.

Please Sponsor Our Horse Pull!

To be a sponsor, please call Bob Salzler.

Bakers Needed!

The Horse Pull Refreshment Stand needs bakers to make 2 dozen extra large cookies! If you can help out, please call Linda Jean. Thank you!

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For more information on our Horse Pull for 2023, please see event details here.

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Based on the bulletin of May 14, 2023.

For additional contact information, please see bulletin or contact the parish office.

Consider this…

First Eucharist and the Month of Mary

This weekend we welcome Christian, and Alexander and Arabella to the Lord’s Table. Jesus comes to us in the gift of the Eucharist each week, and these three wonderful children will have their lives changed forever because of our Eucharistic Lord. First Communions are a great time for us to recall the powerful gift of the Eucharist in our own lives as well. Jesus gives us his very self in Body and Blood to feed us on our journey towards heaven. Think of it this way. I’m sure we’ve all had days in which we just NEED that cup of coffee, or energy drink to get through the day or the task ahead. They give us the boost we need to power through. The Eucharist is that and so much more for our own journey of life. It is the boost, energy, love, encouragement, hope and true presence of the Lord himself that assists us each week to persevere through.

Please pray in a special way for our children receiving this beautiful Sacrament of Initiation today.

This weekend we will also crown our Blessed Mother as we begin the month of May. As patroness of our parish, we have a special relationship with Our Lady and ask her to intercede for us to her Son. I encourage all of us to take some extra time throughout the month to pray to our Blessed Mother. Some ideas to celebrate the month of Mary include: Light a candle at the Blessed Mother Altar, say a Hail Mary, create a prayer corner in your home with a statue or picture of Our Lady and take a moment each day to pray there, say the rosary as a family, bring flowers to Our Lady’s Altar one weekend in May. There are so many ways we can honor and pay tribute to Our Lady and she will in return honor and guide us.

Lastly, as we continue to move forward with the Renewal in our Family of Parishes, you have seen the new Mass schedule that has been put forward for the weekend. Please know that there is a lot of other work that also continues by our pillar committees going on as well. Recommendations for our family are coming from our Spiritual Life, Liturgy, Administration, Outreach/Inreach, Forming Disciples and Stewardship Pillars on how to form our Family of Parishes for success in the future. Please pray for this important work, and ask our Blessed Mother throughout the month of May to guide this important work. As more decisions come out, they will be shared with you.

Keep Smiling 🙂 Fr. Bryan

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Based on the bulletin of May 7, 2023. Edited slightly, and link added.

Consider this… Help lead into the future!

On this Fourth Sunday of Easter, we hear that Jesus is the gatekeeper. The role and image of gatekeeper gives us a sense that everything goes through Jesus who is the gate to heaven. As we look at our parish, all that we do is meant to work through Jesus. Each of us is called to a great responsibility to help one another get to the gate by all that we do. The same is true for our parish community.

As we move into a Family of Parishes model, it is important for us to realize that all of us have a part to play in making sure our parish is vibrant and successful into the future. With that being said, there are many things that need leadership within our parish. I am asking that you please consider if you would be willing to help in any of the following areas. If you are, please contact Debbie at the rectory so we can get a list of parish leaders together that are helping our parish function as we move forward in the Family of Parishes.

We need:

1. Sacristans to help with setup for masses, change candles, setup for liturgies.
2. People who would be responsible for opening and locking up the church/hall as needed.
3. Worship Team/Liturgy Committee that will help coordinate liturgy in our parish and function on the Family Liturgy Committee.
4. Donut Social Sunday leaders — doesn’t mean you have to coordinate every Sunday, but we are looking for people to sign up for specific weekends each month to take responsibility.
5. Coordinator of Prayer Chain Ministry.
6. Members of Finance Council.
7. Maintenance Coordinator — making sure regular maintenance items are handled at each worship site.
8. Landscape helpers — people who are willing to help weed, plant and water our landscaping.
9. Baptismal preparation coordinator — helping young parents prepare to have their children baptized.
10. Hospitality — greeting at Mass, checking in with parishioners who have not been at church to see how they are doing.

These are the top ten areas in which we need help. Please prayerfully consider how you might be able to assist in any of these areas. Training opportunities for each area are available.

Next Sunday (May 7, 2023) is First Communion and our May Crownings’. Please pray for our three young people who will be receiving Jesus for the very first time and as a parish dedicated to Our Lady, please join in our Solemn May Crowning by bringing flowers to present to Mary. Weather permitting, both May Crownings’ will take place outside.

Lastly — Mother’s Day is fast approaching. I am inviting the men of our parish to cook a Mother’s Day Breakfast for the women of our parish. This would take place at the Arcade Worship Site on Mother’s Day after the 8:30 am mass. Sign-ups for our men to cook and women to attend are in the back of church. Please help recognize the beautiful women of our parish on this important day.

Keep Smiling 🙂 Fr. Bryan

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Based on the bulletin of April 30, 2023. Slightly edited, links added, and date added for future viewers.